Did you ever wonder how that five, ten or twenty dollar bill many parishioners place in the collection basket each Sunday is handled?

Are you under the impression your church has in place procedures that ensure that every dollar placed in the collection basket is, in fact, deposited into the church bank account?

Have you always assumed these monetary gifts are adequately protected against theft by church employees, volunteers and other persons?

Regardless of how you answer the first question, if your answer to either of the last two questions is "Yes", you're definitely in the majority. Unfortunately, that opinion does not prove out. In all likelihood, the Sunday collection in your church isn't even close to being adequately protected, and it's a good bet no one (locally) has the slightest idea of how to go about accomplishing that objective.

If you inquire, those who are involved in the handling of the Sunday collection will assure you there’s absolutely nothing to worry about. In most instances, however, they’re simply telling you what they believe to be the case. More often than not, that’s not what a knowledgeable and objective reviewer would find. As a matter of fact, even the most unschooled of churchgoers can easily reach one of two conclusions:

that the collection system is definitely not secure or that it might be secure; observations at other locations would be required to determine whether the entire system is secure.

To determine if the system might be secure, one need only observe how the ushers dispose of the contents of their collection baskets. If they empty them into either a serially numbered, self sealing polyethylene bag which is immediately closed andsealed, OR a zippered bag (or lockable drawstring sack) which is immediately closed andsecured with a tamperproof numberedplastic seal, one can say the system justmight be secure. If the collection is not secured usingone of those methods (depicted below), it canthen be said the system is definitely not secure. If you truly care about the long-term fiscal wellbeing of your church, go to the NEXT PAGE.